[DADoser]

What exactly does "aluminium/silver doped finish" mean?

I know the Mosquitos were made of wood. I've also read that there were problems with the wood glue in the Asian theater. I've looked at the 3 Squadron/Signal books (Thanks wmosner ) and they say "silver dope" under several captions - but nowhere do I see any explanation. Did a Google search and came up with results of "aluminum doped fabric" etc. but not a real good definition of what this actually was.

Was this just a painted finish over the wood skin? Were these aluminum skinned Mosquitos? What does this mean regarding actual aircraft construction?

Thanks in advance for any answers/clarification.

[datacroft]

Simply put, the aluminium/silver dope was simply just that.
A silvery colo(u)red dope that was painted over the wooden and fabric coverings.
So, there were no 'metal' Mossies.
(Dope - not a stupid person but a colloidal solution of cellulose acetate butyrate or cellulose nitrates used on fabric (helps to shrink and tighten the fabric but maintains the strength) and wooden airframes since before the Wright brothers)

[DADoser]

Originally Posted by datacroft

Simply put, the aluminium/silver dope was simply just that.
A silvery colo(u)red dope that was painted over the wooden and fabric coverings.
So, there were no 'metal' Mossies.
(Dope - not a stupid person but a colloidal solution of cellulose acetate butyrate or cellulose nitrates used on fabric (helps to shrink and tighten the fabric but maintains the strength) and wooden airframes since before the Wright brothers)

Thanks for the reply/info. Much appreciated.

DADoser

[ZS-VAN]

Originally Posted by datacroft

Simply put, the aluminium/silver dope was simply just that.
A silvery colo(u)red dope that was painted over the wooden and fabric coverings.
So, there were no 'metal' Mossies.
(Dope - not a stupid person but a colloidal solution of cellulose acetate butyrate or cellulose nitrates used on fabric (helps to shrink and tighten the fabric but maintains the strength) and wooden airframes since before the Wright brothers)

Most informative datacraft. Especially the dope bit.

[timbo]

From what I rememeber it was the fomulation of the Glue in the wood laminates that gave issues/failed in the humid conditions in the Far East. I think that they had to re-fomulate this to stand up to the climate.

Did the Dope provide a layer of protection to the Glue?

[jim]

The chaps at DH had to have major rethink on the glue issue ( bubbles and blisters in the laminate skin)but they fixed it very quickly. The paint finish was not the answer because the humidity levels were so high the moisture crept into every nook and cranny inside the structure. This humidity problem caused a number of headaches in other aircraft at the time not least the electrics. Corrosion was a major issue also, evidently the climate was so extreme that even clothes, leather, and canvas rotted in a very short time.

Originally Posted by timbo

From what I rememeber it was the fomulation of the Glue in the wood laminates that gave issues/failed in the humid conditions in the Far East. I think that they had to re-fomulate this to stand up to the climate.

Did the Dope provide a layer of protection to the Glue?

[STARMAN 352ND]

Always learning something new on this forum.
Great Info mates.
JP